Mark Speckman

Mark Speckman, like every football coach and player on this planet, has seen many a penalty flag he thought absurd. One in particular, from his playing days at Menlo College, stands out. The memories have faded, but the irony has not. Speckman, a linebacker, was asked one game to fill in on the offensive line for a few snaps and was penalized for illegal use of the hands. The ironic part is that he was incapable of committing the infraction. Speckman was born without hands. \"Obviously the guy was pass rushing me, beating me bad,\" Speckman recalls. \"I was just trying to grab him. Of course everybody howled and screamed and yelled.\" With an uncanny sense of humor and an undeniable sense of determination, Speckman overcame the odds to become an honorable mention All-American. Those same traits enabled him to become a successful high school and college coach. \"I really think in a lot